


Cut Man

by smoakandmirrors



Category: Arrow (TV 2012), Daredevil (TV)
Genre: Daredevil AU, F/M, Felicity meets the Green Arrow, Gen, olicity - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-09
Updated: 2016-03-09
Packaged: 2018-05-25 16:25:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,885
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6202507
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/smoakandmirrors/pseuds/smoakandmirrors
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“This is what you do? You make life difficult for bad men?”<br/>“That's one way of putting it.”<br/>---<br/>Daredevil (Netflix) AU. Matt and Claire's first meeting, this time with Oliver and Felicity! Knowledge of Daredevil not needed.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Cut Man

**Author's Note:**

> So I wrote this AGES ago! ALSO: I don't think the violence in this is _that_ graphic, but I added the warning just in case. Enjoy :)

Felicity is under a blanket, flipping through her recorded shows, when Roy Harper so rudely comes bursting in through her door like he lives there— well, he practically does, but- "FELICITY! There's the- someone's really hurt!" 

\- 

“Over here!” Roy calls out, “come on!” 

When Felicity steps onto the scene, she can hardly believe her eyes. 

Because there’s a bleeding man in the dumpster outside her apartment. 

“Help me,” she orders. “Get him out.” 

No – the freaking _vigilante_ is unconscious in a garbage can. 

\- 

Though she has no idea how—she suspects Roy purposely took his torso, the guy is heavy (is it really all muscle?) —they bring him up to her fun-sized apartment and lay him on the carpet “Easy, easy,” she tells Roy. “Go upstairs and close the door. And not a word to anybody. Not even your sister.” 

Felicity leans against the door and takes a deep breath. Go time. After checking his pulse, she takes his mask and hood off to check for head injuries. None. What look like multiple stab wounds decorate his body, and they’re deep. He definitely needs surgery, so she grabs her phone to dial 911, and suddenly there’s a hand clamped around her wrist. She jumps. 

“N-no calls,” the vigilante chokes out. 

“It’s okay, I’m just trying to help.” Felicity says gently, “we have to get you to the hospital.” 

“No. They’ll kill everyone.” 

“Who?” What the hell? 

“The men who did this. They’ll kill everyone in the hospital to get to me.” He groans and rolls over in pain. 

She attempts to steady him. “Don’t. You’ve lost a lot of blood, I think you might’ve been stabbed.” 

Now standing, he breathes, “I have to leave.” 

The moron can barely stay upright. 

“You want to leave, door’s that way!” She admonishes. 

The vigilante turns, grunts, takes one step, and promptly collapses onto the floor. 

\- 

“Are you going to listen to me this time?” 

Oliver looks around. “Where am I?” 

“You’re in my apartment.” The blonde woman answers. 

“Who are you?” He asks. She doesn’t seem like a threat, but Oliver knows better. 

“I’m the lucky girl who pulled you out of the garbage,” she says, tilting her head at him. 

He realizes with a start that he doesn’t feel the weight of his mask on his face. “You’ve seen my face.” 

“Yeah.” 

“Great.” _Shit._

“Your outfit kind of sucks, by the way.” The woman shrugs. 

“Yeah, it’s a work in progress – aahh,” he hisses in pain. God, he really bit off more than he could chew tonight. 

“Okay, I really wouldn't try to move too much.” She advises, trying to keep him on the couch. “You've got two or three broken ribs, probable concussion, some kind of puncture wound, and that's just the stuff that I know about. You’re- you were bleeding a lot, which isn't freaking you the hell out, so either you're used to this or in way worse shape than I thought.” 

“Do I have to pick one?” he answers dryly. 

She ignores him and instead asks, “Do you mind telling me how the Green Arrow ends up beaten half to death in my dumpster? That’s what they’re calling you nowadays, right?” 

“The less you know about me the better.” 

She sighs. “The wound on your side. Knife?” 

“Probably.” He says as she pushes his leathers to the side. He groans as she examines the area. 

“Pretty sure I got the bleeding stopped, but I can't tell how bad it is internally without a full series of X-rays, which you need a hospital for, seeing as I don’t have a radiology department in my home, which by the way, you really need a hospital—“ 

“No,” he interrupts her. “No hospitals.” 

The blonde sighs again. “This is my night off. I’m not really looking for some guy to die on my couch.” 

“Are you a doctor?” Oliver can’t believe his luck. 

“Something like that.” 

“Most people, they find a bleeding masked man in the garbage, they call the police.” 

“You got a lot of experience in this area?” She deflects. 

“Why are you helping me?” He asks. Two can play at this game. 

“The less you know about me, the better.” She mirrors his earlier words, and Oliver can’t help it, he chuckles. 

“You got a name, at least?” He asks, telling himself it’s so he can look into her later, make sure she really doesn’t pose a problem. 

She hesitates before saying, “Felicity. Don’t suppose I get to know yours?” 

That stops him. “You don’t know who I am?” 

“No?” She replies, and when it becomes clear to her that he’s not going to say anything, like he said, _the less she knows, the better_ , she gives up. 

“Alright. I’ll just call you Barry.” 

“Barry?” 

“Yeah, a guy I used to date. Turns out he was very good at keeping secrets too.” She answers accusingly. 

Oliver screws his eyes shut and reaches his hand out to rest over her small, glove-clad ones. “Thank you, Felicity.” 

She lets out a breath. “Rest. Make sure you’re stabilized. We’ll figure the other stuff out later.” 

-

_You can survive this._

_Make it home._

_Make it better._

_You hear me? You hear me, son?_

_Survive._

Oliver jerks awake, but he can’t catch his breath—he can’t breathe—he can’t breathe— 

“What is it? What’s wrong?” Felicity is next to him in a second, and dimly he registers her pulling out a stethoscope. There's some more rummaging around. “You've got air in your chest. It's collapsing your lung. I'm gonna relieve the pressure, but I need you to hold still, okay? Here we go. This is gonna hurt.” 

Suddenly there’s white hot fire in his chest and he still can’t breathe, it’s too damn much— 

Then he swallows a mouthful of oxygen, and Felicity is above him, telling him to breathe normal. 

As he gets his breathing under control, he hears Felicity shift next to him. “All right. Look... let's just say for the sake of discussion I buy this whole, ‘we can't go to the hospital because whatever’ story you've got going on. But we need to talk about what happens if you give up the ghost here in my living room. Because I'm listening to myself explain to the police how I let this happen, and every version ends with me in handcuffs. So convince me it's worth it.” 

Oliver senses she isn't going to let this one go. “They kidnapped a boy.” 

“Who did?” 

“The Triad. They've been running a human trafficking ring out of the Glades. Took over when Bertinelli folded up. Two days ago, they pulled a kid out of the back of a van. Beat his father while he watched.” Oliver finished. 

“God,” she whispered. 

“I knew the kid would still be alive. At least until they took him out of the city. I tracked the Triad to a warehouse not far from here. Thought I was being smart, how fast I found them. Turns out, I wasn't.” Oliver continued. 

“They were waiting for you,” Felicity realized. 

“And I walked right into it.” Stupid, Oliver thought. It was only a matter of time before someone would come looking. And he let it happen. 

“So, they took this kid just to get to you?” 

She clearly wasn’t holding back on the questions. 

“Yeah, I've been making their lives... difficult lately.” 

“But, you… you use a bow and arrow.” 

He smiles. “There are different ways to fight.” 

“This is what you do? You make life difficult for bad men?” 

Cute. “That's one way of putting it.” 

“No offense, but you don't seem to be very good at it.” 

This time Oliver actually did laugh. _Ow._ Bad idea. 

“Yeah, well, you’re catching me on an off night,” he retaliated. 

“Did you at least find the kid?” 

Oliver sighed. “No, he wasn't there. I barely made it out myself. I was careless. Stupid.” 

“So these men that took the boy, they're out there right now, looking for—Barry?” She stops. 

Shit. How could he be so dense? They must have found his bow by now. How much time had passed? Oliver started to sit up. 

“Wait, what?” 

“My equipment is still outside your building. They’ll come looking any minute now.” 

“How do you even know that?!” 

“I just do. And stop looking at me like I’m crazy, we need to move.” Now. 

“Seems the appropriate response!” Felicity exclaimed. 

“There are some things you don’t know about me, Felicity.” 

“I don’t even know _anything_ about you.” 

\- 

So Felicity thought her night had gotten weird when Star City’s resident vigilante appeared outside her apartment in a dumpster, right? 

Well scratch that, because said vigilante was now in her kitchen, rummaging through her freaking spoon drawer. Good God, this crap only happened to her. 

“This all you got?” He said, holding up her knife. 

“Yeah, it’s for vegetables, not a knife fight!” Where were his arrows, anyway? 

He starts limping towards her door. 

“You kidding me? Hey! You can barely stand up.” Felicity blocks his path. 

“That’s what the knife’s for.” 

She braces her hands against his shoulders. “Wait! Don't do this. Not in my home, okay? Nobody has to get hurt. Just stand over there on the side and be quiet and I'll get rid of them.” 

Felicity runs her hands through her hair and takes a deep breath. “Oh God Oh God Oh God.” 

Suddenly there’s a knocking at her door. She whips her head toward the vigilante. He starts to take a step forward. 

“No,” she whispers. “I- I got this.” 

The knocking starts again as she calls out, “Who is it?” 

“SCPD, ma’am.” 

“I’ll be right there.” Felicity takes off her gloves and checks her clothes for bloodstains before she opens the door. 

“Sorry to bother you so late, ma'am. My name is Detective Lee. We had a bit of a disturbance a few blocks from here. We're asking everyone if they've seen or heard anything unusual in the past few hours.” 

“What kind of disturbance?” 

“Armed robbery. Some dickhead in a mask shot up a bodega on 38th. Owner put up a fight. Perp fled on foot, leaving a trail of blood in this direction.” He answers. 

“Oh my god.” 

“Probably long gone by now, but just in case, you know. You see anything, hear anything tonight?” 

“No, sorry.” Felicity answers, praying she doesn’t sound as nervous as she is. 

“Just being thorough. You have a good night, ma'am.” The detective takes out his phone and dials a number before yapping in a foreign language and walking away. 

“Thanks. You too.” After closing the door, Felicity turns back to him. “See? No reason to get all stabby.” 

The vigilante takes a step forward and grunts. “He didn’t believe you.” 

“What? How do you know?” 

“Because I speak Mandarin and he wasn’t saying nice things.” He opens the door and walks out. 

“Barry! What are you doing?” 

He leans against the railing and watches as the detective makes his way down the stairs. 

Suddenly Felicity’s cooking knife is embedded in the man below them and groaning echoes throughout the hall. 

The vigilante looks up. “There was someone a floor up watching us.” 

“Roy?” Felicity calls. “He’s the one who found you in the alley.” 

“He’s seen my face, too?” 

“Yeah.” 

“Felicity, go upstairs and get him. We're going to need help carrying Detective Lee to the roof.” 

“What the hell are we going to the roof for?” 

“Less chance of someone in the building hearing him scream.” 

\- 

“You find anything?” Barry asks her. 

She holds up the phone. “The screen smashed when he fell.” Felicity pushes her glasses up her nose. “He had a badge. What if you're wrong?” 

“I’m not,” he replies shortly. 

And you know what? Felicity is really freaking irritated now. “This is way past what I signed up for.” 

“What exactly did you think that was?” 

“I found a man who needed help, so I helped him.” 

“Oh, yeah? That simple?” 

“Do you really want to get into this in front of him?” She gestures to the detective, now tied up. 

“He's out.” 

“So, what? I'm supposed to take it on faith I'm on the right side of this?” 

“You don't carry a masked man bleeding to death into your apartment on faith. You knew which side you were on the moment you found me. Why'd you help me, Felicity?” 

“I'm a nurse. Work the ER at Star-General. A few weeks ago, cops bring in three men. Said they were robbing tourists, beating them up pretty bad. Apparently, a man in green leather took issue with their activities and decided to step in. I counted nine broken bones between them. A few days after that, EMTs bring in a 19-year-old waitress, said some guy she knew waited for her after work in the parking lot, attacked her, tried to drag her in the alley. She said she screamed and screamed, and a man in green heard her and he saved her life. So, yeah, word's getting around. And I want to believe in what you're doing. I really do. But this?” Felicity scoffs. 

“You can't give in to the fear,” he says earnestly. “If you do, men like this win.” The corners of his lips turn up, “and pull your hood down more. I can still see your eyes.” 

Then he turns around, and promptly punches the detective in the face. He startles awake. 

“Here's how this is gonna work. I ask you questions. You answer them. Where's the boy?” 

“He's dead.” The vigilante punches him again. 

“Where's the boy?” 

“What do you care? If he's not dead yet, he will be.” 

“Why did you take him?” 

“Figured you'd come running.” 

“And after I was dead?” 

“Sell the kid, like all the others.” In a blink of an eye Barry’s hand is coming back full force to the Triad goon's face. “Wait- I was telling the truth on that one!” 

“I know.” The Green Arrow comments. "Who do you sell the children to?” 

"I don't know. Whoever has the money." 

"Where's the boy?" Barry repeats. 

"So you find him. So what? We'll take another. Kill me, somebody takes my place. Long as people are buying, we'll be selling. Nothing you do tonight will change that. But go ahead. Keep hitting me. Let's see who drops first." Detective Lee sneers. 

The Green Arrow stalks forward and grabs the detective's hair. "Listen-" 

"Try stabbing him in his trigeminal nerve." Felicity interrupts. She resists the urge to spit into the detective's face. 

Barry looks back. "Where is it?" 

Stepping forward, Felicity says, "go in through here, right above the eye. That's the supraorbital foramen. You want to go in right under there." She points in the right direction. 

The hooded vigilante holds the knife up to the criminal's face. "Hold still. I might do some serious damage if you squirm. " He nods his head. "How will I know when I find it?" 

Felicity half-smiles. "Oh, he'll tell you." 

She turns away when the Triad lackey starts screaming. 

"You're right, what you said before. I kill you, somebody takes your place, but they'll end up back here just like you, and sooner or later, one of you is gonna tell me what I need to know." Felicity hears the archer say. 

Suddenly he's striding across the rooftop with the bloody man over his shoulder. He half-dangles him over the ledge. "This is important. Listen, I need you to know why I'm hurting you. It's not just the boy. I'm doing this because I enjoy it." 

Felicity involuntarily shivers at the vigilante's words, while he pushes the detective further over the edge. "No! No!" He cries. 

"Where is the boy?!" The vigilante growls. 

"Underneath the Table Salt restaurant. Eleventh and 44th." He stutters, then more confidently: "they'll be waiting for you. If you're lucky, they'll kill you before they start in on the boy. It would be a shame for you to have to watch what they do to him -" The Green Arrow abruptly pushes him over the edge. 

"OH MY GOD!" Felicity exclaims. 

The vigilante shrugs. "It's alright. He landed in the dumpster you pulled me out of." 

"Is he dead?" 

"He'll live. Now get your things and leave. Don't tell anyone where you're going." 

"Excuse me?" 

"He wakes up, he'll be back, and he definitely won't be alone next time." 

"But he didn't see my face," Felicity answers, taking off her hood. 

"That was just for effect, to scare him. He knew you were lying when you answered your door." 

Felicity runs her hand through her hair. 

"Felicity. Do you have somewhere you can go?" 

She lets out a breath. "I'm actually cat sitting for a woman I work with. She's in Ohio." 

"What's the address?" 

Felicity raises her brow. "Why?" 

"I'm thinking if I make it through the night, I may need some help getting patched up." 

Sighing, she replies,"tenth and 54th. Apartment 412, in the building above the liquor store." 

The Green Arrow steps forward and lays his hand against her shoulder. "Thank you, Felicity." He starts to leave. 

"I don't believe you." Felicity stops him. "What you said. I don't believe you enjoyed hurting him. Hurting people." 

He continues to walk away.


End file.
